Unfazed
by Ntutfr
Summary: Natsu has always been regarded as strong. But, after he's kidnapped, is his strength completely gone? Does he even realize who he is? A little bit of NaLu...
1. Prologue

_"Natsu..." Lucy whispered under her breath, sensing a strange dread flowing through her body._

_The pink haired mage was just grinning back at her, one hand raised in a wave. "Don't worry, I'll finish this mission in no time. I'll be back by tomorrow!" He turned around and walked away, Happy flitting around his head before finally deciding to land on his shoulder. "Bye Lucy!" Happy called back._

_She smiled weakly, "Y-yeah..." But something didn't feel right. She wanted at that moment to rush out, to stop him from going on this mission. But there was no real reason to._

_"Ah Lucy," She muttered underneath her breath, "it's just your imagination!" And with that, she turned around and went back into the guild._

* * *

Back at the guild, Lucy was sitting at her usual stool by the bar.

_Where is Natsu? _Lucy wondered, feeling a bit annoyed. He said he'd come back the day after, but it's already been a week! And still there was this annoying feeling... almost like dread, or worry!

"JEEZ! THAT IDIOT!" Lucy shouted, releasing some of her frustration.

"Lucy, are you okay?" Mirajane asked, a slight smile of amusement on her face. She was rubbing a wet cup with some sort of cloth.

"I'm fine, Mira. It's just..." Lucy sighed before continuing. "...Natsu. He's been gone for so long... That idiot!" Her tone slowly changed from concern to anger. "GAH!" _That guy...!_

"Don't worry about that flame head. He does things like this." Gray Fullbuster stated, apparently listening in on the conversation.

"Gray... pants." Cana said, barely even looking up from her spot on the table.

"Whoa! Where did they go...?" Gray muttered to himself before going off to find his clothes.

"It's like he said. Don't worry! It's Natsu we're talking about!" Mira said, with that same smile.

"Yeah... you're right! Sorry, Mira." Lucy said, smiling. "I'm going to-"

**BANG**

All heads turned as the door flew open. The one entering was a blue cat... a flying blue cat.

"Happy?" Someone muttered.

But something seemed wrong. The exceed was rushing, flying as fast as he could to Lucy. He was sobbing, "Lucy! It's... Natsu! We... have to... hurry!" He crashed into the girl, knocking her over. The cat didn't say any more, he was completely out of breath.

Lucy went, "WAH!" As the flying cat crashed into her. She lay on the ground, momentarily stunned.

"Happy? What's going on?" Erza asked. She felt somewhat worried, but at the same time annoyed, when the cat was too busy panting to answer her immediately.

Finally, he said, "It's Natsu! Something really bad has happened!" Confused looks were exchanged by guild members, but nothing was said. Happy continued, "W-we went to the town to do the job! We were supposed to catch some thieves that have been really active lately, but... but..." Happy seemed ready to cry at this point. "It was a trick! Our guard was down... The ones who put out the request t-trapped Natsu in some runes, and took him! They trapped me, too, but didn't take me... It took days for the runes to wear off..." He began to cry. "So please... we need to hurry! It's already been so long, we can't waste any more time!" And with that, Happy stopped talking.

The guild members sat in silence for a moment. "They took... Natsu?" Lucy whispered, feeling all that dread and worry inside of her grow. _Why? Why would they take Natsu?_

"Then let's go!" Erza said. "Gray, Wendy, Lucy! You three come with me, we're leaving immediatly!" Nobody protested, and soon the four humans, as well as two exceeds, were gone.

* * *

_I don't think I can hold on for much longer. Guys, where are you...?_

* * *

"Can't this thing go any faster?" Gray grumbled. He was annoyed, but more importantly, concerned about his friend. Though he'd never admit it.

"This is the fastest way! All we can do for now is wait..." Wendy responded. The train that they were riding on truly was the fastest option.

"Wendy, you need to be careful." Charle mumbled. Happy seemed to depressed to say anything at that moment.

Lucy sat in silence, thinking. _This is all my fault! I wanted to go after him, to save him, but I couldn't! I _KNEW_ that this would happen, but I didn't do anything! _Though she didn't realize it, tears began to form in her eyes.

"Lucy..." Happy muttered. The concerned cat was staring at her with his own tears forming.

Lucy quickly wiped away her tears, realizing that she was crying. "I'm okay, Happy!" She said, smiling. _At least comfort Happy..._

As the train sped on into the night, it's concerned occupants continued to wonder the same thing: _What happened to Natsu?_

* * *

_What's real? What isn't? Friends? What's that? Of course I know! ...or, not? what? I'm alive? Yes? No? What?_

Natsu was confused to say the least. His mind was betraying him, he didn't know what was right, what was wrong.

_...Why?_

* * *

**_*Ahem* _That was the beginning... This is my first fanfic and all, so there's plenty to improve on. Upcoming chapters should be much longer, and updated often. Anywayysss...**

**R&R, everyone!**


	2. Finding Natsu

**Wow! Thanks for the reviews!**

* * *

"Happy, ya sure that this next town is the place where Natsu was kidnapped?" Gray questioned.

"Aye..." Happy said, more himself now, but still not quite there.

"Alright then. I'm not going to enjoy saving that matchstick, but I guess we have no choice." He said, stripping down to his boxers. As usual, Gray didn't even realize he was doing it.

"Why is he stripping?" Lucy sighed. _Everybody's calmed down a bit. But we can't afford to put our guard down for even a second if we're going against people who could actually abduct Natsu. _She couldn't help but feel guilty about the whole thing, her instincts had warned her, and she had ignored them. _Natsu... No! _Lucy suddenly put on a brave face. _I wont think about him for now... we just have to wait until this train stops, and we'll be there. There's no need to worry. _She smiled and nodded to herself.

"Lucy...?" Erza gasped, watching as she silently displayed the array of emotions. "Could you be... bipolar?" And there it was. Lucy couldn't help but sink in her chair a little with a small, nervous chuckle.

Happy sat quietly, staring out the window. He recalled how it had happened...

_"It's a good thing we didn't have to take the train." Natsu sighed in relief. It was close enough that he had been able to walk most of the way, though he had to fly over some obstacles with Happy. Had the others come, they probably would've been too slow, which would mean transportation._

_"Natsu! I need some fish!" Happy had suddenly said. Natsu looked down to his own stomach, saying, "I guess I could use some food as well... But I don't have any money with me!" He glared, obviously regretting the decision to leave his money behind. "Maybe our employers will give us some food?" Natsu tried hopefully. Happy was reluctant, but said, "Fine... I guess we can ask them." He wanted fish immediately!_

_They walked through a town and stopped at an unusually broken down house._

_"I think it was around here?" Natsu said. Happy just replied with, "Aye!" _

_Natsu walked up to the house, where he smelled a scent similar to that on the flyer. The person who had dropped it off was obviously in there. There was no question, this was the place._

_Without knocking, Natsu simply threw the door open. "Hello? It's Fairy tail!" He exclaimed._

_All of a sudden, the door slammed behind the two Fairy tail wizards._

_Without wasting a second, Natsu immediately got into a more defensive stance. "Why you..." He muttered. But, as he made a move to head towards the spot where the smell of people was the greatest, he found himself immediately crashing into a wall of some sort._

_Of course, they had used some type of runes. "Damn you! I'll break through your weak runes!" Natsu called, charging against the barrier wildly. _

_"I'm afraid that's not going to work, Salamander." A smooth voice replied. A man stepped out, tall, blonde, and wearing a suit. More people stepped into view. There were six or so of them, all covered in black cloaks._

_"As if I'd give up that easily!" Natsu shouted, using greater bursts of fire power as he tried to break through._

_"I guess he doesn't learn." The blonde man sighed. "You can take him now. My part is complete._

_All that could be seen through the cloaks were the mouths. They all turned into a grin, some with rotted teeth, some with huge pointed teeth, some with no teeth at all._

_As they made a move to get Natsu, Happy came flying at them, weakly pummeling them. With ease one of the men made a barrier of runes and shoved the blue cat into it. "Annoying cat..." He muttered._

_The ones in cloaks had surrounded Natsu at this point. "Bastards! Get rid of this barrier and fight me!" Natsu was calling, still trying to break through. _

_The cloaked people all locked hands, and suddenly huge bursts of electricity appeared within the runes._

_Natsu fell to the ground immediately, unconscious. _

_"Nastu!" Happy shouted. The strange people with cloaks began to sink into the ground, Natsu following. In an instant, they were gone. The man with the suit was no where to be found, either._

* * *

"The trains stopping." Wendy pointed out. They were there, at their destination.

The train slowed to a stop, and the doors flew open. The Fairy tail members rushed out, eager to help their friend.

"Happy, which way was it?" Erza asked. Happy flew up and flew towards the house, motioning for everyone to follow.

"If this person was strong enough to capture Natsu, shouldn't we be extra careful?" Wendy asked, nervous about their soon to be encounter.

"Yeah, so don't take this lightly." Gray responded.

In no time at all they found themselves in front of the same house that Natsu and Happy had a week ago. "This is the place." Happy said. "But, I don't know if anyone's in there."

They went in anyways. Erza busted down the door, and everyone stepped inside. There was nothing there but a normal, abandoned house. Natsu was no where to be seen.

"What...?" Lucy gasped.

Happy told everyone about how Natsu and his captors had sunken through the floor.

"Transportation magic?" Charle asked. Happy just gave a confused shrug. "Wendy! Can you smell anything?" She turned to Wendy.

"I-It's faint, but I think I can smell Natsu..." She said, focusing greatly on her sense of smell. "Yes... But he's several miles away. We have to move fast!"

"Right! Lead us, Wendy." Erza said.

"Right!" And they left the house, obviously they weren't going to find anything helpful there.

* * *

"Strange." The boy muttered. He was tied down, stuck on a cold metal table.

Thoughts were barely forming in his head. Incomplete sentances, confused thoughts. _What is red where am who did? _He wondered. Unable to think, he was helpless.

A man in black appeared within his line of sight. He had a maniacal grin on his face, giant, sharpened teeth glinting in the dull light of this strange place.

"Good night." He smiled, touching his finger to the boy's fore head. Everything in his brain seemed jolted, confused, changed even more. He screamed, unsure if he was feeling horrible agony or calming peace.

He continued screaming as his confusion and pain became even more intense. The boy with pink hair.

* * *

"I... can't... run..." Lucy gasped, falling onto her knees. They all stopped, turning. Charle had been carrying Wendy, and she looked ready to drop as well. They must have gone 3 or 4 miles, but Lucy wasn't the best of runners.

Wendy said, "I think he's only a mile or two away..."

"It can't hurt to rest." Erza sighed, sitting beside Lucy. Everyone came down to rest.

Gray was frustrated, but he went along with it. He wasn't tired at all, but he needed to stick with his guild mates. _My life's going to be shortened worrying about that idiot._

They all sat in silence for a few moments, each wondering and worrying.

"You know, it's sort of a good thing." Lucy said, smiling.

"What?" Erza asked, taken aback. Why would Lucy be happy that someone had kidnapped her friend? Their friend? It doesn't sound right, especially for Lucy.

"Well, I don't mean that it's good that someone took Natsu. But he's always been the one to save us. I mean, even back at Tenroujima, we would have lost if he hadn't been there. And back when we first met Lyon, and when my dad tried to bring me home... There are countless times when he has saved us. And now..." She smiled, "We get to save him!"

Everybody couldn't help but feel a little more cheered up from her words. It was true, they were going to pay back their huge debt to their friend at last.

"I think I'm good now. Should we continue?" Lucy asked.

"Yeah." Gray said, eager to go. Everyone agreed that they were well rested.

Charle picked up Wendy, and they all began to follow the Exceed and the girl. Happy flew up to help carry her, causing Charle to make a slight, "Hmph." Noise.

And so, the odd group followed Wendy's nose. With new confidence and determination, they were making great speed. Eventually, they reached a mountain.

"Here! It's here!" Wendy exclaimed.

"Are you sure about that, Wendy?" Charle asked. It didn't look that special, and there certainly didn't appear to be any men in cloaks. But Wendy was certain.

"Yes! I think... they must be inside of the mountain..." She said.

The words had barely left her mouth when Erza said, "Trinity sword!" And charged at the mountain, wearing her Heaven's wheel armor.

Lucy stared with her mouth wide open. _She blew away the mountain!_

But it was a good thing. Some sort of rectangular shaped metal building had been concealed within the mountain. It was plain, no windows of course, with only one doorway.

Immediately people began to charge out of that doorway. If Lucy had to guess, she'd say over 100. Of course, being with this group, as everyone charged they knocked all their enemies out almost instantaneously.

"Huh. I would've thought that they were stronger than that." Gray muttered.

"No, just because they caught Natsu doesn't mean that they're strong. He doesn't exactly know how to get out of runes, remember?" Erza replied.

"Whatever. The doorway's open. Let's go." And they did.

What they found inside was little resistance. Obviously this place was a dark guild, but a weak one at that. One which had not expected that anyone could manage to get inside.

Wendy lead them, her nose following Natsu's smell. _He smells... different. _She was a bit worried about that. _Natsu, please be okay! _She silently begged.

"Stop!" Wendy said. Everyone listened. "He's behind that door!" Despite her mask of confidence, she couldn't help but be a bit afraid of what they'd find behind that door.

"Alright!" Gray knocked down the door, secretly relieved that they'd found Natsu. "Hey, Flame-" He stopped.

The fire mage was tied down to a table, unconscious. He looked completely unharmed, except for the faint burn marks on his clothes. But that's not why Gray became quiet. It was Natsu's expression. Despite being unconscious, he had a creepy grin on his face. Lopsided, somehow different from the one's he normally had. At the same time, his eyebrows were furrowed, as if he was in pain. It was almost a pitiful expression.

"Gray? What are you doing?" Erza questioned, pushing her way in. Gray didn't know why. But something in that strange, pitiful, and Un-Natsu like expression was creeping him out. He felt scared to move, as if when he did Natsu would wake up, and do something... strange. It was the slightest of things, but he barely recognized that person as Natsu.

Titania didn't seem to care. She rushed over, attempting to cut through the ropes binding Natsu. It was obvious that these things were magic resistant.

She found a control switch labeled 'rope', and when she flicked it, the ropes moved away on their own.

"Natsu!" Happy cried, rushing over to his friend. Lucy, Wendy, and Charle entered as well. Everyone was relieved, Natsu was fine.

_But he still smells weird. _Wendy thought.

Lucy walked over to where Natsu was laying. "Natsu..." Something about him felt uncomfortable. Odd. She didn't like it.

But that didn't matter. Her friend was back! Tears of happiness formed in her eyes, and dripped off her face, straight onto Natsu.

He twitched. Apparently, her tears were causing him to wake up.

Everyone held their breath for a moment, prepared to greet him. What they didn't expect was for him to respond the way he did. What the didn't expect was for him to have a look of pure terror in his eyes.

What they didn't expect was for him to say, "Who are you?"

* * *

**If this seems a bit rushed, it's because I'm a bit of an impatient writer 0-0 Thanks for actually reading this thing! I think I'll be someone who updates their fanfic WAY too often. I don't know if that's bad or good.**

**R&R everyone!**


	3. Confusion

"W-what?" Lucy asked.

"I said, who are you?" Natsu asked. He carefully sat up, and shakily raised his fists, as if his friends were dangerous.

Gray blinked before saying, "It's us. Y'know, Fairy tail? The ones who you've lived with for the past 7... no, 14 years? Ring a bell?" He hoped that his challenging way of speaking would jog the other mage's memory.

"Fairy tail?" Natsu asked. He seemed to freeze up, and become even more terrified. "Fairy tail..." He whispered again, his eyes suddenly unfocused and wide.

"Natsu?" Happy said, flying closer to his friend.

The mage in question turned to the blue cat and weakly lashed out at him with his raised fists. "I don't know who you are! Don't act like you know me!" He shouted.

Happy made a small, hurt noise. Natsu had tried to hit him! He couldn't take it, tears were already forming in his eyes.

"And you are from Fairy tail? I'll never let you take me! I wont tell you a thing!" Natsu continued. His eyes changed from pure terror to include mixed confusion and rage.

Erza could see where this was going. She approached the fire mage, ignoring his shouts and cries for her to stay away from him. She pulled her fist back, and punched him in the stomach. He slumped over, unconscious. _Natsu. What could have done this to you? I thought that you were okay..._ She thought, as she draped the mage over her shoulder.

"What happened? And why did you do that, Erza?" Lucy asked. She seemed hurt by what had just happened.

"I'm not exactly sure. He seemed like he was becoming anxious, so I had to knock him out. You heard what he said, how else are we going to take him home?" The mage responded. She turned to Wendy before asking, "Wendy, do you know what happened to him?" It would make sense for the healer to know.

Wendy stared at Natsu before saying, "I-I'm not sure. He seemed to have amnesia, but at the same time, he seemed to be afraid of Fairy tail... I have no clue." She looked sadly at the ground, grateful for Charle's attempts to comfort her.

"For now, let's just bring him to the guild. Perhaps someone there will know." Erza said. She turned towards the door and carried Natsu out.

"Natsu..." Happy followed, sadness and worry eating away at him. Gray, Wendy, and Charle followed in silence.

Lucy held back for a moment. _Scarf..._ Natsu didn't have his scarf on. Not wanting to fall too far behind, she searched quickly, immediately coming across the article of clothing. _Natsu's scarf. _She clutched it tightly in her hands before rushing out after her friends.

* * *

Back in Magnolia, Natsu was stretched out on a bed in the guild. He was still unconscious.

Levy sat beside him, carefully taking notes and examining him. "I'm sorry, but I wont be able to tell unless he's awake." She said, looking up at team Natsu.

They were the only ones in the room as everyone else had been sent out. At first, everyone seemed shocked when they heard about Natsu. But Levy suggested that she try and figure out if a spell had been placed on him, and what spell that was if so.

"You mean you don't know what it is?" Gray questioned, feeling thoroughly irritated.

"Well... it was definitely caused by a spell." She said. Everyone was visibly surprised to learn this. Levy continued, "See this?" She raised his bangs, exposing a small burn that was almost impossible to spot. "Natsu can't be burned, he's a fire dragon slayer. But if a certain spell involving the mind was used, then it's likely that it would cause some sort of damage such as this. However, there are dozens of spells that can change someone's brain and leave behind this kind of evidence, so I would need to see his personality to pin point exactly which spell it is..." She sighed, staring down at Natsu, seeing no further evidence.

Everyone turned to their friend, unsure. "But couldn't it be dangerous if he wakes up?" Gray asked.

"Yes, but it's the only way." Levy seemed upset. _If it's anything like they said, he'll be really anxious. But I have no other choice! _She thought.

"We could get Freed to restrain him. After all, he is weak to runes." Erza said, completely serious. _Even if it makes him feel worse, it's better than him escaping and disappearing. _

"Yes." Levy said sadly.

When Gray went to get Freed, Lucy stood up. "I'm going home." She said, before leaving the room and the guild behind. She couldn't stand to see Natsu awaken, only to be restrained and interrogated.

She still clutched the dragon slayer's scarf in her hands. With all that had happened, she had completely forgotten that she had it. _I don't want to give it to him just yet. He... he isn't Natsu. I wont mention it until the real Natsu returns, then I'll give him the scarf. _

Lucy was determined to keep that promise as she continued on her way to her apartment.

Meanwhile, back at the guild, Freed was already done creating a barrier around the bed. The one rule was, '_If your name is Natsu, you cannot pass through here' _And his job was done.

Levy asked for everyone to leave except for Happy and Erza. She didn't want too many people around when she did this.

"Erza, can you...?" Levy started, but the red haired mage was already ahead of her.

"Wake up." She said simply, violently shaking Natsu. She backed off as he began to stir.

"Wha-?" He groggily began to sit up, completely ignoring his surroundings for a few moments. _My stomach feels sore... and I have the _worst _headache. _He thought. He brought his hand up to his head, clenching his teeth and closing his eyes. _What happened? I woke up before, and then... _His eyes snapped open and he lowered his hand. _Fairy tail..._

Natsu finally seemed to take in his surroundings. "You're that Fairy tail wizard." He said simply, staring at Erza intensely. He began to shake, memories flowing into his mind. Yes, he wanted badly to kill any and all Fairy tail wizards, but at the same time they terrified him. He tried to scurry off the bed, feeling helpless while on it. As he rushed to the side, he was shocked to encounter some sort of barrier that would not let him through.

He was trapped. By Fairy tail wizards. In a helpless position. And he did _not _like that.

Natsu knew that he couldn't fight or escape. What else could he do? The only option was to hide. There was no where to hide though. The closest he could get to hiding would be if he dived under the blanket or sheet, and that would be too obvious. It occured to simply get into a safer position.

Natsu curled in on himself as he acted on that thought. He pulled his knees to his chest and ducked his head into the gap between the two. He held elbows onto his legs to further strengthen his defenses. His hands were placed on the top of his head. "Please don't do it, please!" He whispered, just loud enough for the others in the room to hear.

Levy stared at him with concern, before she hardened her eyes. _I can't falter! I have to do this for his sake! _"Natsu, what happened? Why are you afraid of Fairy tail wizards?" She asked

_There's another? I didn't even notice! And how does she know my name? _He thought. Still, there was no reply.

"Natsu, I already asked once. Please answer me!" Levy pleaded.

To Natsu, it sounded less like a plead and more like a threat. He squeezed his eyes shut, just wanting it all to end.

Levy sighed and turned to Happy, who was staring sadly at the one who had raised him. "Happy, I think he'll respond better to you. Do you think that you could ask him the question?" She asked.

Happy nodded and flew close to Natsu, landing on the bed. "Natsu, what's wrong?"

His weak, sad voice caused Natsu to raise his head and glance at the exceed. At that moment, the cat looked like the one who needed comforting. _Perhaps he's a victim as well. It's not like people as evil as Fairy tail wizards would keep pets, or treat them too nicely. _He glared fearfully at the red headed wizard, and saw the other one through the corner of his eyes.

"Killed them." Natsu whispered, too silently to be understood.

"What?" Happy asked, pleased to be getting results, but at the same time more upset than he'd ever been.

"I said, they killed them." Natsu said, louder, but still unable to be understood.

"Natsu, I still can't hear you." Happy said. The blue exceed began to shed tears, he couldn't help it.

Suddenly the fire mage shifted position. He rushed forward, kneeling now, and leaned against the rune barrier. Tears were freely streaming down his face, and his eyes were wild. He stared directly at the two female mage's in the room.

"Why did you kill them? Nobody in my hometown was a threat to you! And yet you still..." He couldn't say anymore. The fear, the anger, the sadness, it all came out. He collapsed and sobs wracked his body.

Levy herself was close to tears, and Erza looked uncertain. "Natsu..." She whispered. This wasn't anything like Natsu at all! The Natsu they knew would never be brought down to this. But this wasn't the Natsu they knew. "Levy, is this enough?" Erza asked, a hint of desperation in her tone. She didn't want to watch anymore.

"No." She replied sadly. "Erza, I need you to touch him."

Erza turned to Levy wide eyed. She didn't question it, and began to move towards Natsu. _For his own good, it's for his own good._ She kept repeating over and over in her mind. "Natsu." She whispered, before carefully placing her hand onto his back.

At her touch, he froze. After he didn't move for awhile, Erza asked, "Natsu...?" And carefully turned his face so that she could see him. The fire mage was unconscious.

She pulled back, feeling horrible. _I- he passed out from fear? _

Levy got up and said, "That's enough. I think I'll be able to find it." And she left the room, informing team Natsu that they could enter again.

Before the others entered, Erza shifted his position so that he was laying down again. At the same time, she couldn't help but feel guilty.

* * *

The next day, Lucy went to the guild. She immediately went to the room where Natsu was resting, upstairs.

Everyone else on team Natsu was already there. He was asleep, and a depressed air hung about the room. Everyone was silent.

Lucy saw how Natsu had a pained expression and there were faint tear trails on his cheeks. It took a lot of effort for her to not rush over and start comforting him.

The silence only lasted a few more seconds before the door flew open. Levy rushed in carrying a book.

"I've figured it out!" She exclaimed happily. The mood in the room immediately began to lighten.

"Really? We can bring Natsu back to normal?" Wendy asked hopefully.

"Well..." Levy looked at the ground. "He wont be back to normal. The effects of this spell aren't reversible. But, he should at the very least remember everything. Really, what happened was the dark guild rearranged his memory. When I cast this spell, he'll sort of have two different versions in his mind. In order to be brought back to normal, he has to accept it." She looked up at the disappointed faces of her friends.

Lucy smiled weakly. "But there's a chance, right? He should eventually get back to normal, even if it takes awhile, right?" She couldn't stand the thought of losing her Natsu. Levy nodded, and everyone seemed more hopeful.

Levy quietly chanted something, pointing a finger at Natsu's forehead. Everyone watched in silence as her finger began to glow, and Natsu moved weakly. Levy pulled back and sighed quietly. "Th-there. I've restored his memory. I don't know when he'll wake up though." She turned and left, eager to get something to drink.

However, the fire mage immediately began to awaken.

"Natsu!" Lucy said, staring intently at her friend.

Both of his hands flew to his head. _This migraine, I can barely think! It feels like someone's smashing my head with a hammer! _He groaned, the throbbing was horrible. "Eh-?" He looked up.

He saw Fairy tail wizards. They were surrounding him! But he felt mixed panic and happiness, surmounting to pure confusion. His emotions flashed rapidly, changing from, _Run! kill them! Escape! DO SOMETHING! _To, _They're your friends! Greet them, it's been far too long! _Causing him even greater confusion. He didn't know what to do. He didn't know if he should trust them or not. All he knew was this great, annoying, confusion.


	4. Only One

**NaLu, anyone?**

* * *

"No way..." Natsu whispered.

It was as if his life had been repeated several times. On one hand, his last memory was being knocked out by some dark guild. On another hand, his last memory was feeling horror as a Fairy tail mage had touched him, ready to kill him. But they were both there. As his last memory.

_Those memories... I want to believe in the one that says nobody ever died. But, isn't that ignoring reality? Why? Why? What's going on? _A great frustration was rising in him. He couldn't tell what was real and what wasn't. For all he knew, he could be confusing mixed bits and pieces from both sides of his mind, creating a reality that never even existed, or was planted on him, in the first place!

Natsu could tell that someone had been messing with his memories, in the very least. But now, he was feeling more and more lost. The frustration began to build up into something even greater. He felt himself being dragged into his mind, unable to face the great puzzle that was two consciousness's.

Natsu felt suddenly afraid. Some thing was trying to block him out, to take over control. He had to release some steam, immediately. He knew that if he didn't, it would probably only be a matter of seconds before he broke and his body was taken from him.

"RAAAAAAAAAAA!" He shouted as loud as he could, pouring out all of his insane confusion and frustration. Flames materialized, and formed into a great pillar several yards wide and impossibly long. Part of the building was demolished in an instant.

Natsu sat there, panting. His eyes were wide, but he had done it. He wasn't ready to lose himself just yet.

"Thank god..." He whispered, before collapsing once again. He was glad to still be himself, and even as he lost consciousness a slight smile was plastered on his face.

"What?" Lucy asked. Everyone in the room was taken aback by Natsu's actions.

"Damn that guy. Yelling like that and then going back to sleep. Tch." Gray muttered.

In mere seconds guild members were bursting into the room. "What happened?" Lisanna asked.

"Natsu just woke up, and he acted a bit odd." Lucy frowned. She had seen his eyes become glossy before his outbreak, and his expression had become that of one who was focusing greatly on something. Whatever happened, for Natsu at least, it was intense. And that smile, it was as if he had won a battle.

While Lucy tried to piece things together, everyone else's jaws dropped to the floor. Most of the wall was _gone! _And a large segment of the ceiling had been blasted off!

And yet the one who had caused all this damage was sleeping peacefully with that triumphant look on his face. "Natsu! Be a man and fix this!" Elfman yelled, rushing towards the sleeping mage. Gray got up and kicked him across the room. This caused Elfman to smash into Gajeel, who was admiring the destroyed building. In seconds, a brawl began in the tight space. Lucy sighed and turned back to Natsu.

Little did everyone know, Natsu was fighting his own battle of sorts.

* * *

_"Natsu!" A female voice shouted. Natsu stopped what he was doing, dropping down from a large tree. He was 10, and a very active child._

_He rushed over to his house which was only a few yards away. He ran through the door, going towards the voice. His mothers voice._

_"What is it, mom?" He asked, greeted by her familiar sight. Her hair was a deep auburn color, wild and untamed like her sons. She was relatively slim, and tall. But her eyes sparkled a deep green color, intelligent and wide._

_"It's dinner time. You don't want to miss out on the food, do you?" She asked. Natsu violently shook his head before rushing to the table. His father was already there, staring impatiently at a newspaper._

_He was of a more average height, with blonde, curly hair. His onyx eyes bore into the newspaper he was holding, and he sighed. When Natsu's mother came and put food on the table, he began to speak._

_"These wizards! They insist on running around and destroying everything! You know, they destroyed the bank where our money is kept! We're going to be a little more restricted because of this." He rubbed his temples. _

_"Honey, put down the newspaper and eat! You know it's only stressing you out!" His wife told him. He obliged and began to eat. Little did the happy family know that this happiness wasn't going to last long._

_"So, Natsu. What did-" Natsu's father began, freezing at the sound of a sudden shriek outside._

_He dropped everything and ran out to the door. Natsu followed hesitantly, and his mother sat in confusion, having not heard anything. _

_"Dad, what's wrong?" Natsu asked. No sooner had the words left his mouth, when his father froze. "Dad?" He repeated. All of a sudden, the man turned to his son._

_"RUN! Get away from here!"_

_"Dad?" Natsu was even more confused._

_"It's Fairy tail wizards!" He said, shocked. "Run away, right now!"_

_"But dad, I thought that Fairy tail wizards were the good gu-" He was unable to finish that sentence, as what appeared to be a demon flew at his father and tackled him to the ground. Natsu could only stare in horror as before his eyes, the demon literally ripped his father in two. _

_The demon turned to him with a huge grin on it's face. On it's left thigh, standing out in blazing colors, was the mark of Fairy tail. _

_All around him, Natsu could here crashing sounds. But he could only stare in horror at the lifeless form that was once his father. Then there was a high pitched scream, and the demon launched itself at Natsu. But rather than attack him, it attacked something just behind him. _

_His mother was now down and gone for the count, her stomach ripped open by the monster's claws._

_Natsu turned to face the demon, realization suddenly sinking in. As tears poured down his cheeks, he ran at the monster. He no longer cared what happened to him, this evil creature killed his family. He was going to try to avenge them._

_But it only grinned and side stepped him. "I'll let you live on. Yes, live, and remember this moment. Perhaps even commit suicide." It burst out into loud, maniacal laughter before disappearing to terrorize more people. _

_Natsu collapsed onto his knees, staring at the ground. _

Fairy tail.

_Several hours later, Natsu finally left the house. He didn't look at the unrecognizable figures that were once his parents. The entire town, with a population of over 5000, was gone. Most of the buildings had been burned down, or were burning. One member couldn't have done this. The whole guild had attacked his town for absolutely no reason._

_Natsu began to cry at the devastation. _I'll get revenge for you. I will.

* * *

"Natsu! Natsu! Wake up!" A high pitched voice shouted worriedly.

The fire mage opened his eyes slowly, only to see a huge pair of brown eyes staring back at him with concern.

As the owner of the eyes backed away, he took in her features. _Lucy... _His oddly patched memory supplied. He couldn't find any bad memories associated with this girl. He did have plenty of good ones.

"Lucy..." He whispered. She seemed surprised that he knew her.

Even if a huge part of him screamed to get away from her when he saw the mark on her hand, he couldn't help but feel comfortable around her. _She smells good... _He noted. Memories flashed in his mind, him saving her on countless occasions. He couldn't tell if any of the memories were real or not, but they were all pleasant.

"...Right?" He said, continuing off of what he had just said.

She simply nodded. "Do, do you remember me?" She asked.

Natsu nodded. This girl was easy to talk to, and not nearly as terrifying as the other members of this guild. Thinking about the other members, his mind began to cloud once again. He started to become confused, wondering why he would think of such horrible people as good, and vice versa. He was on the verge of being sucked into a mental battle once again, unsure what was right and what was wrong.

But sudden warmth engulfed him. As Lucy hugged him, his doubt and confusion momentarily melted away. All that he knew at that moment was her warmth. It was then that he felt something wet.

_Tears._

He didn't know why, but Natsu felt strangely obliged to comfort the girl. He slowly raised his hands up and hugged her back. "Don't cry..." He whispered.

Lucy pulled away and wiped away her tears. "Sorry, I mean it's just I've- no, we've been missing you."

"They liiiiiiiike each other." The weird blue cat appeared within Natsu's line of sight. _Happy. _This cat too was trustworthy, even if he was obviously with Fairy tail. He couldn't bring himself to _not _trust those two.

Still, there cannot be light without darkness. When Natsu heard, "Hey, is the idiot back to normal?" He turned to face a mage wearing nothing but boxers. This one... he couldn't trust.

Without even realizing that he was doing it, Natsu was scooting a little closer to Lucy. Just when he felt sweat drops begin to form on his neck, a voice in his mind spoke. _Gray Fullbuster._

Natsu blinked and suddenly saw this mage in a different light. His hesitation was gone.

The next words that he spoke left his mouth almost involuntarily. "Who are you calling an idiot, stripper?"

This caused Gray to momentarily look down in shock, realizing that he was missing most of his clothes. Just as he was about to respond, the red haired mage wearing armor forced herself in between the two.

"Natsu, is that really you?" She asked.

Again he felt the same sense of distrust momentarily, before his brain seemed to click and tell him, _Erza_.

"Of course I'm me!" Natsu grumbled, looking away from the mages.

Lucy blinked and thought, _He does seem to be acting a bit different, but he's trusting us! We're making progress!_

"Then surely you remember me?" Wendy asked. Natsu looked up and nodded. He remembered everyone and everything. He just wasn't sure if the memories were real or not.

"Hooray! Natsu remembers!" Happy cheered. Natsu looked at the cat and sighed. _I guess I can try trusting them for now. They don't... seem to be acting in a threatening manner._

The dragon slayer said, "Yes, yes, Happy. And I just remembered something extremely important." All eyes turned intently to Natsu, scanning him to see what was so important. "I'm so... hungry." And his stomach growled loudly. Everyone burst into laughter, feeling even more relived to learn that their Natsu was back.

"Why don't you come down stairs? I'm sure Mira can make you whatever you want!" Lucy suggested. Natsu froze at that name. _Mira. _His mixed memories provided crucial information, she was the one who supposedly killed his parents. But he couldn't let it get to him, so he agreed to go down.

As Natsu came down the stairs with his friends, the entire guild seemed happy to see him. "Hey, Natsu! You're handling this like a man!" Elfman shouted. Natsu smiled weakly, his thoughts entirely focused on food.

Lisanna waved, Jet and Droy gave an approving look, and Macao simply smiled from his spot by the bar. All the Fairy tail members reacted in some way, but Natsu was just so hungry that he really didn't notice.

As if she knew that Natsu was gong to be coming down before hand, Mira put down a plate of already prepared food. Natsu was glad for it, and was about to dig in, when that side of him told him to stop.

_Sniff it first. Taste it carefully. This is food, there could be a mix of deadly poison in there. _And that's exactly what he did. He tried to be more discreet about it, either to keep his friends from worrying or to make them think that he hadn't caught on yet. But Lucy did notice, and she watched him with a small frown.

He was sniffing the food while glancing around, then taking minuscule bites and carefully chewing, as if in deep thought. When he deemed that piece of food safe, he would gulp it down, before continuing the process with the next piece of food. _It's as if he thinks it's poisoned or something..._ And Lucy suddenly realized that was it.

Nobody else seemed to notice his hesitation to eat, so she was the only one. It was a sign that the real Natsu wasn't back just yet.

After Natsu finished his food, he finally took the time to look around. Dozens of Fairy tail wizards were around him, and he could name every one of them. The one called Mira was close by, she looked entirely innocent. But then again, it all happened so long ago, that perhaps her personality changed. Or it didn't happen in the first place.

For some odd reason, the place seemed empty and quiet, more so than in any memory he had.

Natsu sighed as he saw two sides to everyone. Gray was having a friendly conversation, but at the same time he was threatening people and eager to torture them.

_But only one is really there. _Yes, his mind was telling him that there were two Gray's, but he could clearly see just one. _There is only _ONE _Gray. There is only _ONE _Fairy tail. There is only _ONE _Reality! And there is only _ONE _ME_! Sudden realization dawned on him. _What's past is past. Perhaps I should stop focusing so much on what happened before, and learned what really happened by living in the now. These wizards don't seem entirely bad. Perhaps... maybe, they'll be the key to unlocking my true memories!_

Natsu wondered what he was doing, as his body practically moved on its own. A smile was on his face, and he was standing. He opened his mouth and shouted, "Alright!" (A/N I really wanted to put YOSH, but this is in english =P) The entire guild turned to face him, confused by the sudden change in personality. _This place really is too quiet. _"From now on, I guess I'll have to do this. Gray!" His grin grew even wider, and he seemed really excited about something.

"You... damn... PERVERT!" And with that, he flew at the ice mage who was only wearing boxers. He caught Gray by surprise, and made him fly across the room.

The guild burst into laughter and friendly conversation. While Gray and Natsu were sort of like a show, fighting and amusing everyone else, Natsu finally felt like this was right. His suspicions, his nervousness, his fear, they were almost completely gone.

_Almost._

* * *

**And there you go. The next chapter is going to be really long, so it might take a few extra days to write. **

**R&R!**


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